I grew up near a creek, and in the summer it was our local hangout. Us kids would trek down to Tygart Creek and hike and wade and whatever else, we had the place to ourselves! On a few occasions you would spy a snake on top the water coming downstream and have to get out until it passed by, and once I stepped on a mud puppy and that was kind scary, but try to get my 20 year old near lake water...she freaks! Actually she never grew up near a creek, always had an above-ground pool at her dad's house, so she was spoiled. Also, her fear stems from this show called "River Monsters" and she swears up and down weird things could live in murky water and if she can't see the bottom she's not going in....
actually that show does creep one out on what could possibly be underneath the water and you just cannot see it! Come to think of it, I'm not sure I would venture in creek or river water myself anymore! You never
really know what lives down there...LOL
The worst thing down there in my state, according to the morning paper, is toxic algae. The record high temps these last 2 or 3 years combined with less rainfall/water flow has created a toxic form of green algea that biologist now say will reappear every year during the summer months, (thanks global warming), sickening you by contact. Oklahoma's Senator Inhoff the global warming denier was in the hospital 3 days last summer after boating near Tulsa. The stuff killed hundreds of cattle, dogs, deer and other wildlife. Yesterday one of the lakes in central Kansas became the first this summer to be closed, closed for any and all purposes.
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